


Another Life

by wynnebat



Category: How to Get Away with Murder
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - Related, Cousins, Family, Friendship, Gen, Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-23
Updated: 2015-10-23
Packaged: 2018-04-27 19:09:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5060545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wynnebat/pseuds/wynnebat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Lila and Connor are cousins, Sam is a slightly better person, and Rachel is a good name.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Another Life

**Author's Note:**

> For the "kidfic" square of my [Trope Bingo](http://trope-bingo.dreamwidth.org/) card. 
> 
> [I'm Too Sexy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5mtclwloEQ) by Right Said Fred, which doesn't quite fit the tone of the fic, but is a perfectly amazing song.

As she waits for her pregnancy test to react, Lila ignores the call from her phone. _I'm Too Sexy_ can blare all it wants, but her hands shake as she waits for a sign that the first test she took was wrong. It's possible. (It's possible that she's completely deluding herself.) The first time she took it, it was positive. And when she told Sam, their relationship was positively over, unless she got an abortion.

Sniffling, Lila opens her eyes to the newest result. She's pregnant, still. The nightmare hasn't gone away. And her phone's still blaring her cousin's ringtone. The call stops before her panic can even start to abate, but soon he calls again. And again. And again.

"Fuck off," Lila says, picking up the call. Her voice is all wrong, like she's been crying, but she hasn't. She doesn't want to cry about this. It's not real. It can't be.

"Woah, what's wrong?"

"Nothing."

Connor sighs very loudly. Lila hates him.

"I was gonna bitch at you about not returning my calls, but then I talked to Aunt Lucy, and she says you've been avoiding her, too. And Uncle Joe. I mean I get why you wouldn't want to talk to him, he's boring as hell—"

"Stop talking shit about my parents, yours suck worse," Lila says, though her heart isn't even slightly in it.

"Your brother's even worse," Connor replies. His voice is gleeful as he says, "Want to know how many classes he's failed this semester?"

Despite herself, Lila's mood is perked. She'll side with her bro against her parents, but right now, Jason's all alone. "How many?"

"Nearly all. He failed freshman-level bio."

"Idiot," Lila says. She listens quietly as Connor catches her up on family gossip, mentally going over their family tree and wondering how each one will react. In a family that takes over an entire park during their yearly family reunions, at least some of them have to be supportive. Eventually, as Connor winds down and waits for her to speak, Lila says, "Mom and Dad aren't going to be yelling at Jason much. It'll be me."

"Dropping out of school? It's a bit late for that." With only a month until graduation, even her pregnancy won't prevent Lila from finishing college. It'll just ruin her relationship with Sam instead.

Tears building up in the corners of her eyes, Lila says, "I'm pregnant."

"Fuck," Connor says, summing the situation up perfectly. "Mr. Darcy's? Your boyfriend wasn't putting out, last I heard."

"Yeah," she tells him.

"I'm so glad I only date men."

Lila rolls her eyes. Her cousin is a bit ridiculous and self-centered, but he's never judged her. She's glad he's not starting now. "You're missing out."

"Also glad I don't have a uterus. So, what're you doing with it?"

"Keeping it," she tells him, like she told Sam.

Unlike Sam, Connor's only bewildered as he says, "What do you want a kid around for? This is exactly what abortion is for."

"I like kids." Suddenly, she realizes this probably means she can't smoke anymore. And drugs—other than the legal, doctor ok'd ones—are out of the question. It's almost enough to make her agree with Connor.

"Babysitting them in high school doesn't mean you actually want to deal with one."

Lila shrugs. She can't explain it, not even to Connor, who's looking at her like she'd lost her mind. _Think of the boys that won't date you now,_ she tells herself. _Think of the hardships. Think of being tied to Sam for the rest of your life._ (And that's not a positive, not anymore.) But all she can think of is the fact that there's someone growing inside her, someone that will have her features and Sam's, and maybe a little bit of Connor.

"I know. Still keeping it."

Maybe Connor can hear the determination in her voice, because he says, "Fine. Have it your way. I can be an uncle. The young, cool kind."

"Jason's the one who'll be an uncle, not that I care. You'll just be the weirdo second cousin."

"Hey!"

.

In the next nine months, Lila doesn't change her mind. By the time her due date arrives, she hasn't seen Sam in months, has moved in with Rebecca, and Connor's chosen a dorm as close to their apartment as possible. And when the time finally comes, Connor is the first to hold her child, after Lila finally releases her from her arms. Connor takes her into his arms and keeps her just above the bed. Lila tells him he's not going to drop her, but from the way he's staring at her kid, he doesn't hear a thing.

Eventually, he says, "So, Connora?"

Rebecca snorts. "She's a little Rebecca, obviously."

"In your dreams," Lila replies to both of them, and reaches for her baby girl.

Rachel's a good name, she decides.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Complete; no sequel planned.


End file.
